Disclaimer: I do not own District 9!

Edited on 7-27-10

A young woman stood in her khaki outfit that consisted of a small vest and trunks. The clothes contrasted well with her tan complexion and her lengthy black hair, which she had pulled back in a ponytail. Her bangs partially shielded her eyes from the sun and gave a more innocent, youthful look to her heart-shaped face.

She stood at the border of District 9, observing the alien activity through the barbed wire fence. Some aliens moved about scavenging and rummaging through heaps of junk and trash. Those that weren't scavenging were either interacting with each other, or just passing by ignoring the others around them. They were fascinating to watch. So different in many ways, yet so similar.

This young woman had traveled all the way from the United States to South Africa in hopes to study and learn more about the aliens and maybe even interact with them. She came to this country on her own behalf and against her family's wishes.

They had warned her about getting too close to the aliens in District 9. Getting too close to a hostile alien could put her in danger, or get her killed. Nobody had anything good to say about the aliens.

A couple of small aliens in a distance chasing each other and playing among the junk piles drew her attention. She figured that the small aliens were at a grade school age. Young and oblivious. They reminded her of her younger cousins playing in her grandmother's junkyard of countless old, broken vehicles and appliances. It was her favorite playground where she would get lost in her own world. It also served as a hang out spot for all of her friends and family whenever they had gatherings.

The two small aliens disappeared into a nearby shack.

"What are you doing here?"

The young woman was startled by the sudden voice of a small alien that stood in front of her. He stood no more than two feet and had an earthly color to his exterior. A dark beige color to be exact. She peered into his green eyes that gazed up at her so curiously.

"I'm just watching." She replied.

"Why are you watching?" he asked curiously.

"I want to learn more about your kind."

"Why?"

"Because I'm interested in your people."

"But why?"

She chuckled at his persistence. He reminded her of her little cousin Brooke, whose curiosity prompts her to constantly pester the young woman with so many questions. Simple questions like "Why is the sky blue?"

"Well, I guess it's because I've never seen an alien up close. And you're the first." She replied, kneeling down closer to his level and hoping that it would make it easier for him to open up more.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Aaron." he replied.

"Hey, that's cool. I have a cousin by that name, but he's not as cute as you are."

She noticed Aaron fidgeting and looking around as if to see if anyone was watching them. Then he slowly walked in between the gaps of the barbed wire fence with ease, walking from District 9 to her side of the fence, and stood right in front of her. His innocent, green eyes peered into her slanted, brown eyes.

The young woman was shocked to see the small alien so close in front of her. She felt the need to reach out and touch him, but decided to keep her hands to herself. She knew that she had always wanted to meet an alien up close, but did not expect to meet a child.

"You have a cousin named Aaron?" he asked so curiously.

The young woman chuckled and replied, "Yeah!"

"How many cousins do you have?"

"Thirty, maybe forty. I don't really know. Do you have any cousins?"

Aaron peered off into the distance, as if he was thinking. "I don't think I do." he replied and moved a little closer to her. His curious eyes peering up at her. "What is your name?"

"Sequoya." she replied and held out her hand to him. Aaron flinched a little and stepped back. He looked at her hand, glancing up at her.

"Is this how humans greet each other?"

Sequoya nodded her head. He did the same with his hand and held it in front of her, thinking that it was the correct way humans greet each other. Then she gently grasped his hand into hers and gave it a quick shake, but didn't let go. She watched curiously as his antennas twitched wildly and wondered what sort of emotions he was feeling.

He felt the warmth of her hand comforting his as she held it so tenderly. Even the intense heat of the sun didn't compensate for the comfort that he felt within the grasp of her gentle touch.

Aaron finally looked up and met her gaze. Her human eyes giving him a welcomed gaze. A friendly smile appeared on her face. He had been close to humans before, but never this close. When she let go of his hand, he slowly withdrew his hand and watched her cautiously. He had been so curious up until this point. Humans were known to be prejudice and violent around his kind, so he slowly took a step back in case she turned on him.

"Where are your parents?" she asked while adjusting her position to sit down.

"They are dead." he replied and watched her make herself comfortable on the ground. He noticed her black hair was so long that the ends were touching the ground, mingling with the dirt as she sat down.

"Dead? Then you're an orphan like me." she said, her smile slightly faded.

"You are an orphan too?"

"Yeah. I was only five years old when my parents died."

"You knew them?"

"Yeah, but only for a little while. I wished I would've known them more. The first five years aren't good enough. How long did you know your parents before they passed?"

Aaron shook his head at her and replied, "I never knew them. They were killed before I had a chance to see them."

He noticed her smile had completely faded and she looked to the ground. "I'm sorry you never got a chance to know them."

He looked at her puzzled. Was she relating to him? A human was feeling sorry for a young Poleepkwa she had just met. She was beginning to amaze him with her understanding. Maybe they weren't so different after all.

There was a moment of silence between them, before they continued their conversation about their families. This was the beginning of their new friendship.